UNP urges Govt. to revamp, revise and improve foreign policy
Tuesday, 3 December 2013 00:58
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The main opposition United National Party (UNP) says the government needs to focus on revamping, revising and improving its foreign policy for the benefit of the country.
Former Foreign Minister, UNP MP Mangala Samaraweera told a news conference that it is the failures in the government’s foreign policy that had resulted in the low turnout of foreign heads of states at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) last month.
He pointed out that the government should focus its foreign policy more on the West than the African region.
He said that despite claims by External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris that Sri Lanka will establish diplomatic relations with 15 African nations, only seven countries from the African region had sent delegates to the CHOGM in Colombo though there were 19 African-member countries in the Commonwealth.
Samaraweera also observed that Peiris had stated that Sri Lanka didn’t need the assistance of Western countries.
According to the UNP MP, a healthy foreign policy would have ensured a good turnout at the CHOGM.
